Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Very soon, if not already, you're going to be faced with one of summer's great dilemmas; what the hell am I going to do with all these zucchini?

Maybe they're from your garden, or possibly some sadistic neighbor's, but regardless of where they came from, there they sit on the counter, taunting you with their size and numbers.

While it will probably only put a small dent in your cache of courgettes, this recipe I posted last year is very simple and quite tasty. Enjoy! Tuna Zucchini Elbow Pasta - It's Just Dinner

I almost didn't film this meal. Initially, it struck me as so mundane and unimpressive that I wasn't sure it would make a worthwhile video recipe. Then I remembered I'm an atypical Food Wishes fan. While it's getting harder and harder for me to impress myself, thankfully most of you remain fairly easy to impress.I don't say that with condescension, but with envy. I have to remind myself that not everything I make has to be a "special." That it's okay to just cook, film, and post without a point, or an angle, or even a reason.This recipe is not impressive, it's not interesting, there are no new techniques, it doesn't remind me of any funny stories, and it certainly isn't going to win any beauty contests. I promised myself to never use the phrase, "it is what it is," but here, I really have no choice. It is what it is, and that's just dinner. Enjoy!

44 comments:

Anonymous
said...

It may seem 'plain jane' to you, but lots of us out here in the forsaken kitchens of the uninspired need every little ounce of help we can get, AND TO BE CERTAIN "mundane" by Chef John beats the heck out of the Macy's video just prior to this one.

God Damnit Chef John do NOT have your mid life crisis all up in here! You are a great chef and I frequent your website every day. That being said, if you stop cooking because you think your food is "mundane" I'll have nothing to cook for dinner tomorrow. I'm making your ciabatta bread literally as soon as i stop reprimanding you. Thanks a lot bud.

*SpArKy*You might wanna try to add some graded squash or some Alfafa sprouts instead of lets say half of the sauce, i do like em in pasta .it will change the flavor yeah but if tomatoes isent your thing than add other veggies

Oh this is something I can make tomorrow. Have all the ingredients but I will cut the recipe in half as we are only two unless the grandkids are around. I didn't realize there were folks out there who didn't know what marinara sauce is. Golly!

Chef John, thank you for making store bought pasta sauce an acceptable resource in a "proper" kitchen. So many pretentious celebrity chefs make it seem that if you use of the stuff (not to mention store bought stocks), you might as well stay out of the kitchen altogether and order that pizza. Thank you for creating real recipes for real people who perhaps dont have the space or time to make their own stocks, tomato sauce, demi-glace, etc. Will look for some air-flown zucchini at the supermarket even if it negates the whole point of the recipe.

If Anonymous up there can't view the videos, it might be because they need to install or update their Flash plugin. They should check

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

for details. If they're on a Linux or other "minority" system, things can be a bit tweaky sometimes (but one would assume if they're on a Linux system they're probably hip enough to figure this out already).

Also, if they're running an "off brand" browser, like Google Chrome, especially on the Mac, and they have some sort of ad blocking software, such as AdThwart, they may need to either turn it off when viewing your pages or set an exception.

That said, if they can view videos on YouTube they should be able to view them here.

Sorry Anon! I really should stop "short changing" you. In fact, I feel so bad, I should send you a refund for some of the money you've contributed to the site. Please leave your name and address so I can mail you a check.

Recipe might be simple, but i think people (when I say people I mean me) appreciate simple but tasty recipes that they can fix for dinner after work, that maybe something fancier that might require more time.

This recipe is great! You should do a series like this where you're just throwing together easy dinner dishes that can be made with almost anyone's refrigerator contents. I made this today and it took me hardly any time at all. And it was delicious! Thanks!

I just found your YouTube videos, and have been watching them & reading your blog all day. This is great! You may not be impressed with it yourself, but I'm a student and this is something affordable and easy that I can make a whole bunch of ahead of time for lunch/dinner for the week. I can't wait to make it.

An don't say your recipes aren't inspiring... I was watching the video and thinking of how I could possibly adapt this recipe for my family (my kids don't really like fish even canned one)So..... I thought of trying it maybe with some chicken or even ground beef.... Who's with me?